Living in the now helps you be more appreciative of what you have and look forward to the future. There are ways you can train yourself to be more mindful no matter whether you’re at home with your family, out for a walk or during work. Start becoming more mindful today by implementing these 7 productive ways to be more mindful.
1. Create what you desire
What do you genuinely want to experience in life? What journey do you want to be following? Being mindful starts with having a vision of what you want your life to be. Haven’t you noticed that there are so many distractions in life that can easily take you off track of your dreams, goals, or ambitions? To accomplish what you want, you have to stay focused during the good and the bad days. On the days you feel like giving up, be mindful of your desires and continue on.
Knowing what matters most to you, deepest beliefs and values keeps you on your path. Live every day in alignment with them. When you do this, you are making the decision mentally to be mindful in your life and consciously aware of your life.
When you are mindful in life, you are aware of why you do something. You know and understand the reasons why you get up in the morning and go work. You have a purpose for living.
3. Disconnect from society and connect into your mind.
We live in a world that’s constantly “on”. It never switches off. Think about how Facebook, the internet, messaging, Instagram, emails, television, fast food, billboards, and advertising affect you. All these things are noise that is constantly inundating our minds and our lives.
Train yourself to be more mindful by disconnecting from society every once in a while. Instead connect to your own mind. Discover your emotions, thoughts, and feelings going on in your mind. Reflect upon what changes you need to make in your life if you are off course.
What do you want to be remembered by? You can easily get stuck in routine and forget why you do what you do. Take the time to think about the end and why you do the things you do. Doing so keeps you mindful of your goals and values.
Express yourself through your actions by becoming more aware of the moment. You can be more mindful in a negative way or a positive one. To be positive in your mindful actions, be in the moment, become aware of your body, your actions, and your thoughts. Observe the way you walk. How is your posture? What do you see, smell, hear? Apply this way of being in the now in everything you do.
What is your purpose in life? Do you have a reason that inspires you to get up and start your day in a positive way? Or are you living by routine? These routines are draining and take you away from living in the moment.
Get clear on your purpose in life so you can start living each day mindfully. You’ll know that everything you do is connected to fulfilling your chosen purpose.
Be real in everything you do. It’s impossible to live a more mindful life when you are and fake.
Always remain true to who you are. Stay connected to your inner being. Don’t conform to society’s expectations of who you are. When you know who you are, what you value and what you stand for, it’s easier to live in the now.
To tell you the truth, mornings can be quiet hectic. It’s so difficult to find time for morning meditation. If you have a young family and children to get dressed and out the door, you know this first hand. The good news is that it doesn’t have to be that way. No matter how busy you think you are first thing in the day. Earlier, I shared with you how the first few hours in the morning set the tone for the entire rest of the day. Do you want that to pull out you hair out of frustration? Do you want to be frantic? Or do you want to be in control? It’s up to you to make the change by embracing two simple concepts to form a habit.
Form a Habit
To form a habit, you form a three-part psychological pattern called a “habit loop.” First, there’s a trigger, that tells your brain to go into automatic pilot. Neuroscientists have traced our habit-forming behaviors to the basal ganglia, a part of the brain. The basal ganglia deals with pattern recognition. Second, there is the routine that forms from practicing this new behavior. Thirdly, your brain receives the benefits of the reward, which is the peace found in meditation.
1. Get up Earlier by 30 Minutes.
It’s tempting to hit the snooze button first thing in the morning to catch a few more minutes of sleep. It’s even harder to set the alarm early enough that you have plenty of time for everything you need to get done. If you’re as lazy as I am, moving up the alarm by 30 minutes to carve out a little extra time can be rough. Think about your goal. You want to wake up to meditate. Be clear about what you want to accomplish. After those first few mornings, it won’t be so difficult and challenging; it’s something you’ll get used to.
Getting up early enough and avoiding the snooze button at all costs is the key to an unrushed morning. Here’s the problem with cutting time too short or hitting the snooze button too many times. It gets you behind even before you get a fresh start. You have to rush to make it out the door in time and any little challenge along the way turns into a huge problem. Like me, not being able to find the car keys is suddenly a major life crisis.
Remember, your morning sets the tone for the rest of your day. If you start chasing down time and running around in circles, that’s likely how you’ll spend the rest of your time.
Make a new habit by getting up early and move on to a new morning routine. You are able to control what needs to get done. By taking one small step, getting up early enough, you set yourself up for a sunny disposition and an amazing productive day.
2. Restructure Your Routine
Spend a little time thinking about your current morning routine and where you’re spending time. Look for things you can change to find more time for the things you really want to do. For example, if you want an extra 20 minutes in the morning to meditate, look at what you could take care ahead of time. Plan, eliminate or delegate to make that extra time.
If you spend a lot of time running to Starbucks like me, get in the habit of calling ahead. Or get your spouse to get coffee ready, so all you have to do in the morning is push a button. Teach the kids to make their own breakfast. They should take the dirty dishes to the sink, rinse them, and put them in the dish washer. Make sure clothes are set out the night before and that book bags, purses, briefcases, and car keys have a designated spot. I keep my car keys in a hanger in the mud room. I’m ready to go each morning. Small changes like this to your morning routine can make a positive difference.
Think of yourself as a time saver! I challenge you to come up with a few small changes that will save you at least 30 minutes each morning.
Determine That Meditation Is Crucial to Your Well-being
Your morning is not about cramming a to-do list. Your morning is focusing on what is important. Sometimes when you read about time management, you star thinking that “doing” is the important step to become productive. Although, “doing” can create momentum, as a short term strategy but not long-term. The more you do without determining your outcome, the more likely you will burn-out and blame yourself.
To set out to meditate for 15 minutes, evaluate your current morning routine. Ask yourself what is the best use of your time in the morning. Compare your perfect morning with your existing morning routine. What aren’t you doing on your ideal morning? If you start by cutting things out, finding time to focus on what’ important to you becomes so much easier.
When you start setting time for mediation in your morning routine, consider that the practice of meditation is important for your general health. The key word here is practice since it requires commitment, consistency and perseverance. By making time, for meditation your well-being will improve.
Meditation is a mind and body practice that focuses on the interactions among the brain, mind, body, and behavior. It may reduce blood pressure and irritable bowel symptoms (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Meditation may help those who suffer symptoms of anxiety and depression. There are also studies that have shown that people with insomnia have improved their sleep through meditation practice. In short, meditation is beneficial for your health and should be part of your morning routine. It’s all about finding time for morning meditation.
1. Eliminate Busy Work
Remember, the autopilot mode. Busy work is something you do out of habit that doesn’t have to be done every day. Even Elon Musk, sets up a system to check crucial emails pertaining to Tesla or Space-X in the morning. If you are doing it out of habit, then it’s time to rethink.
2. Earn Back Precious Time
The second way to quickly earn back time is to see if you’re doing things for others that they can do themselves. Kids are the perfect example. We start by fixing their breakfast, making their lunch, cleaning up after them, and making sure their backpack is packed and ready to go. When they are little. We focus on these things, but all too often we continue to do them long after they’re capable of doing things on their own. The same applies for our spouse. Maybe there was a time when you had less to do in the morning. It made sense to take on the majority of morning chores. It’s time to get help from your partner. A few small changes may be all it takes to make time in your busy morning for what’s important to you.
How To Find Time for Morning Meditation
The best way to plan for a morning meditation is to set aside double the time you will need. Let’s say that the meditation is for 15 minutes, then set up for 30 minutes in your calendar. The point is that you have enough time to complete the meditation and self reflect without feeling rushed. This extra time gives you the desired space to create a moment of self-compassion in your meditation. It shows that you are taking the first step to care about yourself.
To meditate on the go, you can resort to YouTube videos such as this one on Mindful Poetry. This will the subject of a whole new blog post soon. You’ve already taken the first step to find time for morning meditation.
Free Meditation Book
Please click on the meditation book above to receive a free guide for complete beginners.
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Getting over yourself takes action. Of course, this is easier said than done. Today, I’m going to share a simple three-step process that will help you get more done than you ever thought possible.
Define the goal
“Every person’s life depends on the process of choosing goals to pursue; if you remain passive, you are not going to thrive as a human being.” (Locke, 2019)
It all starts with a goal. You have to know what it is that you want to accomplish. If you don’t know what your goal is, then it’s hard to prioritize on what you should be doing now to move towards action. So, what do we do instead? Basically, we procrastinate.
It’s important to remember that goal setting is based on commitment. Your goal is merely to place what needs to get done into written words. By goal setting, you increase your motivation since you establish a mindset of desiring an attainable goal. The goal moves from dream to reality. It becomes tangible.
By reaching this goal, you achieve a level of success. To write your goal, answer this question first– How committed are you to make a change? If your goal lacks clarity, will you be able to carry it out? Not likely.
Research shows that an achievable goal leads to greater work satisfaction and motivation. Firstly, a goal is attainable based on your own skillset. For example, if I am good at organizing, I can use this strength to carry out my goal. Secondly, a goal can also challenge you to improve your skills because you are motivated to achieve it. This type of achievable goal is measurable and has a set deadline.
Goals don’t have to be overly complicated. Here’s a simple goal we all strive to accomplish. We have to file our taxes this year by July 15th. The deadline was moved because of the COVID-19 national emergency. You certainly have a good idea of what forms will be needed, paperwork, and receipts. So, you gather them up as a step to achieve this goal and you download the software needed. In other words, when you have a well-defined goal like filing your income taxes on time then you create action.
2. Write it down.
It doesn’t matter if you write it down on a stickie, a bullet journal, or type a note on your phone. The important part putting your goal in writing. Firstly, it helps you clarify what your goal is. You need to be specific when you try to put what you truly want into writing. Secondly, writing it down serves as a reminder and as a tool that you can use to stop you from procrastination.
Complex goals that lie out of your skill level may overwhelm you. Making simple goals that rely on what you are good at and challenge you just slightly will drive you towards success. Sometimes, “I will try to do my best” won’t be good enough; it is too ambiguous and shows lack of motivation. However, complex goals that are achievable because of their clarity and your improved skillset can help you reach success.
3. Get started
Last but not least, it’s time to get started. That’s often the hardest part, isn’t it? You’re tempted to skip your workout until you lace up your shoes and get started. Once you’re off and running, it’s much easier to keep going. Once you have your goal written down, think about something you can do right now to move you in the right direction.
I happened to do just that.
The goal-setting plan
I planned to set up a morning routine so I can get out the door and to work by 7:30 am. I can measure the time it takes for me to fulfill this routine. (Right now, it is taking me forever, but this is the subject of another blog post). I wrote down that I wanted to achieve it by next week. I’ve already taken action by reading the routines of other bloggers, mainly those involving celebrities, famous CEOs, and bloggers in quarantine. Each morning, I will start looking at my goal and challenge myself to carry through the steps required to achieve it. Before you know it, I will have made some serious progress.
I am. I put things off no matter how often I beat myself up over waiting to the last minute to pack for a vacation, book a flight, get to work or file taxes. I struggled with deadlines. I kept repeating the same pattern over again.
If you’re ready to finally beat procrastination and get ahead of the game, you’re in the right place.
Throughout a series of blog posts, I’m going to share my best tips and strategies for overcoming procrastination and setting up an inspiring morning routine. I will show you how I learned to look up at the sky and find my true North star.
I will share with you my suggestions, and we start today with learning about self-compassion. I know it seems like an odd place to start, but it’s an important first step because self-compassion can overcome procrastination.
Self-compassion is noticing that you are suffering and showing warmth and kindness to yourself. Instead of ignoring your pain, you comfort yourself right at that moment. You stop criticizing yourself, and you start understanding yourself better. It is about forgiveness and being able to let go.
There’s nothing you can do about the past except to learn from it. Beating yourself up about not following a plan you made or reaching an unmet deadline does not improve the situation. Needless to say, it aggravates it even more since it can cause undue stress. Yes, not all stress is bad. Stress can motivate you if you think about is as a challenge. But for some of us stress leads to excessive negative self-talk and feelings of judgement which reinforce your habit to procrastinate even more.
Next time you find yourself procrastinating, tell yourself that it’s okay. It’s not the end of the world. Say it out loud and then give yourself the opportunity to try again. It is okay to sometimes fail.
Even famous entrepreneurs learn how to fail.
In a recent Masterclass, Sara Blakely, the founder of Spanx, told the story of how her father asked her about her failures when she was a child and how they celebrated each one of them. It made her a stronger person and built character for her to reach her goals.
Trying is the most important part here. You’re working on mastering a new set of skills and changing an existing habit, which takes practice, time, and of course, failure. It’s part of the learning process.
You may feel frustrated at times about your lack of improvement. It’s normal; tap into that frustration and use it to motivate you going forward.
Vow to try again. Look at your mistakes.
What caused you to procrastinate this time? Learn from it, and you will start to realize that you are able to accept who you are regardless of the outcome.
There’s always something new to learn whenever we fail at something or slip back into an unhealthy habit. At the very least, we figure out that something isn’t completely working out for us.
Show a little self-compassion! Forgive yourself for procrastinating so you can move on and practice some more.
Congratulations, you completed the first step in beating procrastination. Join our email list below to learn more.
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Time management is all about staying focused on the end goal. Many writers like Tim Ferris from The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9–5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich use the Pareto Principle, also known as the ’80:20 Rule’. At first, it sounds like a complex subject, but it’s one that works and is highly recommended for success.
the 80:20 rule
Simply, 80% of efforts that are not time managed or unfocused generates only 20% of the desired output. However, 80% of the desired output can be generated using only 20% of a well time managed effort. Although the ratio ’80:20′ is only arbitrary, it is used to put emphasis on how much is lost or how much can be gained with time management.
Some people view time management as a list of rules that involves scheduling appointments, goal settings, thorough planning, creating things-to-do lists, and prioritizing. These are the core basics of time management that should be understood to develop efficient personal time management skills. These basic skills can be fine-tuned further to include the finer points of each skill that can give you that extra reserve to make the results you desire.
There are more skills involved in time management than the core basics. Skills such as decision making, inherent abilities such as emotional intelligence and critical thinking are also essential to your personal growth.
Personal time management involves everything you do. No matter how big and no matter how small, everything counts. Each new knowledge you acquire, each new advice you consider, each new skill you develop should be taken into consideration.
personal time management
Having a balanced life-style should be the key result in having personal time management. This is the main aspect that many practitioners of personal time management fail to grasp.
Time management is about getting results, not about being busy.
The six areas that personal time management seeks to improve in anyone’s life are physical, intellectual, social, career, emotional, and spiritual.
The physical aspect involves having a healthy body, less stress, and fatigue.
The intellectual aspect involves learning and other mental growth activities.
The social aspect involves developing personal or intimate relations and being an active contributor to society.
The career aspect involves school and work.
The emotional aspect involves handling your feelings under undue stress.
The spiritual aspect involves a personal quest for meaning.
Thoroughly planning and having a set of things-to-do for each of the key areas may not be very practical, but determining which area in your life must receive more attention is part of time management.
Each area creates a better version of you. If you are ignoring one area, then you are ignoring an important part of yourself.
Personal time management should not be a daunting task. It is a very sensible and reasonable approach to solving problems big or small.
A great way of learning time management and improving your personal life is to follow several basic activities:
Review your goals, whether it be immediate or long-term goals, often by keeping a list in a place that is accessible like an iPad, notepad, or computer.
Determine which task is necessary or not necessary in achieving your goals and which activities are helping you maintain a balanced lifestyle. Monitoring your peak time and slow times, you should be able to tell when to do the difficult tasks when we are the sharpest.
Learn to say “No”. You actually see this advice often. Heed it even if it involves saying the word to family or friends.
Pat yourself at the back or just reward yourself in any manner for an effective time management result.
Obtain cooperation from people around you who actually benefit from your efforts in time management.
Attend to necessary things immediately. Don’t procrastinate.
Maintain a positive attitude and set yourself up for success. Be realistic in your approach to achieving your goals.
Record or journal of all your activities. This will help you get things in their proper perspective.
These are the few steps you initially take in becoming a well-rounded individual.
Personal time management is the art and science of building a better life.
From the moment you integrate management skills, you have opened several options that can provide a broad spectrum of solutions to your personal growth. It also creates more doors for opportunities to knock on.
My Sky Is The Limit 